Thread: Thinning vinyl paint?

I'm not into powder paint yet, so I bought some jars of vinyl paint. I have been dipping my jig heads in the vinyl paint but it sure seems very thick paint, it is almost hard to get a drip to come off the bottom of the jig head when I hang it up. Is that normal or do I need to thin the paint some? If so how do you know how much thinner to add? Right now it seems to go on so thick I don't even know why I am bothering to put primer on first.

Originally Posted by eriksat1

That is what I thought I have the CSI vinyl thinner. When it goes on that thick do really still need to paint it with white primer first?.

Yeah you really should go with the white primer first. It acts as the reflective surface for the fluorescent pigment. When I was doing vinyl paint I was doing 2 coats of white, a coat of color, and a coat of clear.

It sounds to me like your paint might need some thinning. The drip should form pretty readily. First thing to do before thinning is get the paint warmed up to room temperature. Set the jars in a pan with a bit of warm water in it. Let them absorb the heat for a few minutes, then go ahead and stir them and try dipping a couple.

After the paint is warm you can think about thinning it if you need to after you try dipping a jig or two. If it's thick use a drinking straw with your finger over the top to add just a tiny bit of thinner at a time. Stir it in good with another straw or stir-stick and dip a few more. As it thickens again you'll need more thinner and so forth. When the paint is right it should have the consistency of thick milk.

Use the CSI thinner for sure. MEK is great for thinning it out in a hurry but it flashes off just as fast.

One tip to slow down the thickening of the paint is to store the jar upside down.